


Jersey Royals

by lizlybear



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Au of sorts, Fluff, M/M, Smut, forever kinda love, long short story, mcdanno, royal heritage, stealth marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:09:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizlybear/pseuds/lizlybear
Summary: Danny gets a royal shock.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 67
Kudos: 226





	1. Royal what now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually have any knowledge of dna tests, or royal lineage, or poison and I do not speak Italian or Hawaiian (google translate is my friend) but I do have an overactive imagination and this story is the result of that. (It might be unrealistic at some points but keep an open mind) They might be a little ooc at times but I hope they are still very much Danno and Steve. The time lines should fit, but I'm bad at maths :)

King Victor Amadeus de Savoy sighs deeply, ignoring the ache in his chest. He gestures for his personal nurse Maria to come over and he gives her instructions to get a box from its hiding place next to the fireplace. She looks excited and he gives her a small smile. He knows there have been rumours of secret rooms and hiding places in the palace. Rest assured there are plenty, after all the palace has been there for over seven hundred years. He dismisses Maria as he gingerly picks up the first item in the box. It’s a leather bound photo album, the pages are yellow and fragile but the pictures inside are unscathed and carry memories of a different time. A time where his family was whole. His fingers gently stroke the face of his little sister Elenaor. Well, his aunt really. He remembers the yelling, angry hissed conversations until suddenly Eleanor was no longer at the palace. Years later he asked his father what happened and he was told the whole sordid ordeal. He’s happy that his parents managed to keep it out of the public eye but it cost them. Maybe too much.

Victor sighs again, closing the album. He picks up a faded photo from underneath a debate medal, a young, heavily pregnant woman with a bright smile and untamed golden curls looks into the camera. She’s holding a dark haired baby in her arms, clinging to her legs is a blue eyed boy with the same curls. He turns it around, time stamp June seven, nineteen eighty eight in Jersey. When his own son was born he’d gotten nostalgic and started looking for his long lost aunt, it took him nearly eleven years but he found them eventually. Eleanor had just given birth to Daniel Charles Williams, she went on to have four children in total and she was happy. So he left her alone, but kept tabs on her. His own son was now forty seven, he and his wife had been trying for a baby only to find out that the crown prince of Sardinia was sterile. With no other children and not willing to relinquish his crown to Diego, his less than stellar cousin. Taking a deep breath he calls Maria back in, he knows what he needs to do.

*****

Danny curses as he trips over a toy car Charlie left out. He grabs his phone and badge, slamming the door closed behind him. He’s debating whether or not he has time to stop for coffee and malasadas when his phone chirps. It’s a selfie from Steve. There’s a steaming cup of coffee with a delicious treat next to it. Grinning, he starts the car, his partner knows him so well. When he drives off he notices a nondescript black car, pulling up behind him. On his way to Steve he keeps seeing the car but he eventually loses it in the busy morning commute. 

They leave Steve’s after they had their coffee, before getting into the car Steve pauses and stares at him or possibly something behind. 

“What?” Danny wipes a hand over his face, and through his hair. “Something on my face?”

When Steve doesn’t respond and turns his head sharply to the other end of the street Danny follows his gaze. He frowns when there is absolutely nothing to see. He opens the car door and Steve seems to snap out of whatever caught his attention. 

Later, when Steve parks the car at headquarters he makes no move to get out, Danny shrugs and clicks the button to release his seatbelt. At that moment, Danny sees the black car that he suspected was following him this morning. 

“Steve ..”

“I know, it’s been on our tail since we left the house. Call Tani and ask her to trace the plate.”

“And then what? Sit here and wait? This car was following me this morning to your place. You call Tani and I’ll go ask what his problem is.”

Danny says opening the door, only to be stopped by Steve. Who leans over him and stops him from getting out. 

“Wait, just wait okay. _We’ll_ go ask in a minute. Please call Tani, okay?” 

Danny side eyes Steve and sighs, he pulls up Tani’s name and quietly explains what is going on. Steve is tapping away on his phone but stops when Tani relays what she found.

“Okay guys, it’s a rental, hired by a Giuseppe Bianchi. He’s Italian, well Sardinian actually. No record, he seems to have worked as a bodyguard for Sardinia’s elite. Who knew Sardinia even had an elite? I mean I didn’t even know it was a kingdom? And it’s an island? Anyhow, so far I’ve found no connection to anything we handled or to you personally. I’ve already called Jerry. Should I inform Duke as well? Where are you?”

“No it’s fine Tani, I already got Duke on it. We’ll be upstairs in three.”

Danny narrows his eyes at that, Steve is up to something. He hates it when Steve is ahead of the game and doesn’t share. They get out of the car only to watch the rental hightail it out of the parking lot. Immediately Steve is on the phone. 

“Duke? Are you in position?” He listens and nods “Yeah okay, just keep them there we’ll take over when the schools let out.”

A cold shiver works its way down Danny’s spine, Charlie and Grace. 

“Relax Danno, Duke has officers in and outside the school. I figured they’re Italian so maybe the connection is you. I texted your mum, but she is still typing. I’m guessing it’s because of those Williams thumbs.”

“Shut up, my mum isn’t a Williams, asshole.” Then tugs Steve’s sleeve, making his ridiculously tall partner look down “Thanks babe.” 

“Your family is my family Danny.”

Danny’s heart lurches in his chest, Steve has that look again. It’s soft and adoring and Danny doesn’t feel deserving but his heart basks in the glow of what it implies. 

“Yeah, I know.”

He responds quietly. Steve blinks but Danny is already moving away and up the stairs. He hears Steve catching up and he shakes off the butterflies. They have a case to solve.

*****

“Your mum has never heard of that name, she’s going to ask your grandmother.”

Danny sighs, great. Grandma Lily is not all there on her good days, and on her bad days she’s living in Italy and she calls him ‘little prince’. 

“Yeah, let’s not expect much then, my grandma’s mind has holes in it. Maybe we are reading into this too much? No one showed up at the school right? Or at Rachel? Or Grace? So it could be just a journalist?”

“Mmm it won’t be the first time the international press is interested in us but we haven’t really had a case that warrants the attention.”

Right then Jerry lumbers in, out of breath and waving a folder around. Without a word he inserts a memory stick into the table. The screen loads, it’s a map of an island with a family tree next to it. Jerry doesn’t waste any time, but his gaze lingers on Danny as he starts.

“Good morning! Okay, so Bianchi is not just any bodyguard, he is a royal one. Currently under the employment of Victor Amadeus of Savoy, the king of Sardinia. So I have a buddy who hunts down uh royal bloodlines.” When Danny raises an eyebrow Jerry clears his throat “It’s a hobby. I called him just now and he happened to have a file on the Sardinian line.”

Danny, Steve, Tani and Junior all look at Jerry’s excited face but when no one reacts he sighs. 

“Fine, Sardinia is a small, island kingdom, it was established around a thousand years ago. At this moment they have a king, Victor Amadeus. He became king when he was thirty one years old, already married to Marina Doria.”

Jerry waits again, only to be urged on by Tani.

“Are you going anywhere with this Jer? Because we are growing old here.”

Jerry rolls his eyes, but continues his story.

“So the previous king, Charles Emmanuel, ascended the throne nearly sixty two years ago. His parents died in a horrible skiing accident, Prince Victor was fifteen. Now here is where it gets iffy, it seems several people at that time came out with a story of an illegitimate child living in the palace. No one from the royal family ever confirmed the rumours but a nanny who supposedly worked at the palace had a name of said child. A princess who was given the name Eleanor Clara de Savoy. She was two or three years old, they never found out who the mother was but apparently King Charles Emmanuel was the father. Now you can imagine this was a shock, Charles at the age of forty, is suddenly a king and he has a sister. A very young sister, the age gap between them being over thirty five years. He takes her in, but soon everyone starts talking about her being his illegitimate child, the pressure on his family is too big. So he sends her away with a caretaker. At this point things get hazy again, but the name of the caretaker is listed as Liliana Rossi. That name pops up in New Jersey on a marriage certificate around the time the princess was relocated. After that the trail goes cold, because there are approximately thousands of Liliana Rossi’s listed in Jersey.” He then looks at Danny “Your grandma’s name is Liliana isn’t it? And your mum is Clara.”

Danny starts laughing. 

“Okay okay, good one Jer. Really, you had me in the first half.”

“Uhm I am not joking? The king is dying and he only has one son, who doesn’t have kids. So my guess is he can’t have them and that’s why _you_ are suddenly a person of interest.”

“A person of .. Do you hear what you are saying? Huh? Because it’s ridiculous. Can we please focus on the real world and not on this fairytale?”

Tani clears her throat. 

“Danny? If you are the eldest son of a princess then you are in line for the throne. As are Grace and Charlie.”

“Oh my god! Are you buying this? I am not royalty! I’m from New Jersey, I know my parents, grandparents and their parents. Yes we have Italian lineage, but I can assure you ..”

His dramatic ranting is interrupted by the door opening, and Giuseppe Bianchi walks in. 

“Mister Daniel Charles Williams?”

Danny looks around but his team doesn’t give anything away and he raises his hand.

“That would be me.”

“I am sorry for following you around this morning, I needed to be sure you are the person we are looking for.”

“Right. And am I? The person you are looking for?”

“Yes, you seem to be. I have a letter here, please read it. Any questions will be handled after that.”

He hands Danny a letter and Steve is suddenly pressed against his side. Taking the letter from him, examining it from all angles, even going so far as to sniff it. He bats Steve’s hands away and opens the letter. 

_“Dear Mister Daniel C. Willams,_

_In light of recent events it has become necessary to bring certain truths that have been hidden for years, to your attention. Before I can disclose any information on that front I need to be absolutely sure you are the first born son of Clara Williams. Therefore if you would please provide a sample of your dna, cheek swab or a hair will suffice. This so we can eliminate any doubt, for what I already know to be a fact. I understand your confusion but it is of utmost importance that this test remains secret. Once we have a dna profile I will explain everything, hopefully in person._

_I will await the results with eager curiosity._

_Sincerely,_

_Victor Amadeus de Savoy_

Danny scowls down at the letter before handing it to Steve, which elicits a protest from the foreign bodyguard. Steve takes his time reading and Danny tries his best to be patient. 

“Okay, would you please step into my office mister Bianchi? Daniel?”

Steve gestures behind him and Danny steps forward, waiting for Bianchi to follow him. Steve pulls the memory stick from the table and picks up the folder. 

“For now please do not look into this any further. Not until Danny shares okay?”

Jerry looks like he’s on the verge of causing a scene and Danny is sure he’ll start digging the moment they are out of hearing range. Steve closes the door behind him and sits down next to Danny on the office couch. Danny takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. 

“Right. First I need to see some id. Then you will explain what you can. And if, a big if, I think this is for a good cause I’ll decide to ‘donate’ my dna.”

Before Bianchi can respond, Steve adds his two cents. 

“Also, how did you obtain the dna that you’re comparing Danny’s to?”

Bianchi holds out his passport and Steve takes it, picking up his phone. Danny stops paying attention and focuses on the man before him. 

“Mister Williams, you must understand this is a delicate case. If anybody finds out about it before a statement is made it will be a scandal of epic proportions.”

“If what comes out? I have no clue what is happening here. Jerry fed us some bullcrap story of a long lost Princess and really? Because this is not something that happens to normal, regular people.”

Steve snorts and Danny pinches his side. 

“Please, if you would follow me to an independent laboratory. I promise you the moment we have a result everything will be cleared up.”

Steve clears his throat.

“Can I talk to my partner alone please?”

Bianchi tilts his head and leaves the office. Danny and Steve sit in silence for long moments. 

“Okay, so we do what you want Danny. If you are not comfortable with this, I’ll make it go away.”

Danny takes Steve’s hand and squeezes, smiling up at him.

“You’ll make it .. Jesus Steve, you would. I know it and I love you for it. What I want is for this to be resolved once and for all. So I’ll do the stupid test, prove that I’m definitely my mother’s son and not some prince-ling, so we can move on.”

“Sure Danno but I’m coming with you and we will call Eric to supervise the test.”

“If the scary Italian allows it.”

Steve shrugs and Danny immediately knows that no matter what happens, Eric will be there. They walk out to find Tani and Junior loitering in the hall with Jerry nowhere to be found. Danny stalks to his own office, picking up the phone to call Duke. They decide to keep the surveillance on the kids, he realises Steve must have called in a favour to have someone watching Grace at college. So he calls his mum, but she doesn’t pick up. His sisters are offline as well and it doesn’t sit well with him, but there is nothing to be done right now. Eric does pick up, and he agrees to meet them as soon as Danny texts him the address. When he gets back into the main hall, Steve is quietly talking to Tani and Junior. His partner looks up the moment Danny enters. Two minutes later they follow Bianchi’s car and Danny is busy texting Eric. 

Eric is already waiting for them and Bianchi doesn’t kick up a fuss about him being there. Danny gets the inside of his cheek swapped, Eric stays behind to supervise with explicit approval of the bodyguard. The laborant technician promises to call them as soon as the results are in. In the end it really wasn’t as dramatic as he imagined. They are back at headquarters not even an hour later. He goes down to talk to Jerry, who as suspected, is knee deep into royal conspiracy and cover up theories. Danny explains what he can and in the end Jerry agrees to wait until the next day to really start digging, it’s the most Danny is going to get and he knows it. He spends the rest of the day trying to focus on paperwork and contacting his family. At five thirty he gets lucky and his mother picks up.

“Jesus Ma, what happened? You lost your phone? Huh?” 

“Danny! Tone down the sarcasm please. We had a visitor, a cousin of your Grandma came over all the way from Italy. We showed him the city, and he took us out for dinner as a thank you.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I had a visitor from Italy as well, they told me a fairytale about long lost Princesses and I just .. Ma, if any of that were true you would have told us right?”

“A princess? Rachel?”

Danny chuckles, shaking his head.

“Ma, not every British person is secretly royalty.”

“Well then I don’t know what you are talking about. I left Italy when I was barely three years old, never met any family and I didn’t want to. I mean ..”

His mother sounds flustered and Danny’s throat dries up.

“Why? What happened?”

“Well, your grandmother isn’t my real mother. But she took in me when no one else wanted me.”

His mind goes beautifully blank at that sentence. Shock ripples through him, closely followed by a desperate need to hug his mother. To think she walked around feeling unwanted is agonising. 

“Oh sweetheart, stop that. I can hear you thinking and no. Your Grandma loves me and she gave me a home. I have never felt the desire to go looking for my real parents. They didn’t deserve me and that is that.”

He sighs, he’ll make sure to have his sisters visit in the next few weeks. Danny suddenly realises that he just lost his best chip to debunk this ridiculous story. He groans at that, fuck. 

“Right, so who is the cousin?”

“I am fairly sure that he isn’t royalty.”

When she doesn’t give him a name, he stands up and taps the window until Steve looks at him. He gestures for him to come in and he puts his phone on speaker.

“Ma, who is the cousin.”

Steve raises his eyebrows but luckily keeps quiet, Danny points to the laptop. Steve sits down, waiting. Danny taps the loudspeaker button.

“His name is Sergio de Luca, he works for a big computer company. He’s here on business and his Pa told him to visit grandma Lili.”

The moment she gives the name Steve is typing away on Danny’s laptop, a picture pops up on the screen. Danny leans in to look but the glare from the light above his desk makes it impossible to see the full screen. Steve rolls the chair back and Danny slips in front of him. Steve tries to look around him but the chair is making that impossible. Suddenly Danny feels Steve’s large, warm hands on his hips. He startles but lets Steve manoeuvres him onto his lap. Danny feels the tip of his ears turn red but goes with it. Any embarrassment is gone the moment he gets a good look at the screen, the man is a body guard as well. He scrolls through the short work history but nothing weird pops up. He listens to his mum and hums in agreement at whatever she is saying. Steve taps a finger against Danny’s wrist and he stops scrolling. He points at the screen and Danny nods, because there is a link to the royal house. Damn it. 

“Ma?”

“Yes?”

He pauses because what the hell is he going to say? Steve squeezes his thigh, and Danny’s insides twist. A million butterflies suddenly flutter low in his belly but he ignores it.

“Clara?”

“Oh Steve! Hi darling, how have you been? Have you tried out the recipe yet?”

“I’ve been good, I did try it out. We loved it. Charlie is adamant to make them again next week.”

“Magnificent. I’ll have to come visit soon so we can make it together.”

“That would be brilliant. Now, listen for a moment.”

“Sure.”

“This cousin, is he still in town? And did he ask you for anything”

“What’s up with all these questions? Are you interrogating me? Huh? This is family. I won’t turn my family away.”

“I understand Clara, but this is important okay?”

“Fine. Yes he is still in town, no he didn’t ask me anything. My mother didn’t recognise him, but as I told Danny just now we don’t really know our family. Why would he lie about it? We aren’t rich folks, and we can’t touch Matt’s money until the investigation is closed.”

“Alright, he probably is a cousin but these days you can not be too careful. You understand, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Now tell me about your pension plans boys. I know the restaurant didn’t pan out but maybe buy a boat and give tours around the island huh? Mary told me you have all the best routes.” 

“Uhm, yeah we’ll think about it. That sounds like a good option.”

Danny slaps Steve’s hand, that is still on his thigh.

“Ha, you hear that Eds! Steve thinks it’s a good idea! I told you.”

Danny shakes his head.

“Steve, darling? A shared pension is better than going in alone. You do know taxes are better when married, right?” 

Danny can feel his face doing a funny thing and he is suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he is sitting on Steve’s lap. He immediately tries to stand up, only to have Steve tighten his grip on his leg, keeping him firmly in place. 

“Ma! We are not in a relationship! Can you stop it already!”

“Fine. I just think you are protesting too much.”

And Steve is not protesting at all, Danny finishes in his mind. Steve’s fingers softly stroke the inside of his leg and Danny shivers.

“I am dead on my feet so I’m going to leave you boys to it.”

“Alright Clara, say goodnight to Eddie for me. We’ll talk soon.”

“Goodnight ma, love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart and you Steve.”

Danny hangs up and Steve turns the chair around. He adjusts Danny so he sits sideways, but still on his lap. 

“Danny. Danno. Look I .. We ..”

Oh Jesus, he realises Steve is about to burst their comfortable friendship bubble. Danny isn’t ready, but he wants it. So much. Maybe too much.

“I mean, we should ..”

Danny never finds out because his office door opens and Tani is looking at them with an amused smile. They freeze.

“Wait! Don’t tell me. There was only one chair, right?”

Danny quickly stands up and this time Steve lets him go. He’s sure Tani means something else entirely but he doesn’t have the faintest idea what because there are clearly three chairs in the room.

“No? What?”

Tani starts laughing. 

“Nothing, jeez. We are going to grab a bite. You in?”

Danny looks at Steve, who shrugs.

“Sorry, not tonight. We have some things to discuss.”

“Uh huh, is that how you kids call it these days?”

Steve starts laughing and Danny cuffs him over the head.

“Don’t encourage her.”

“I don’t have too, you are doing a bang up job of that yourself.”

“Okay, remember to wrap your discussion. Safety first.”

Danny splutters and Steve chokes on his laughter. Tani walks away laughing out loud. When Steve opens his mouth Danny holds up his hand.

“Nope. No. shut it. We are leaving.”

“Yes Danno.”

Steve follows Danny out to the car without saying another word. They are almost at Steve’s when Danny’s phone rings. After a quick and stilted conversation with Rachel he asks Steve to make a detour so they can pick up Charlie. 

Dinner is easy and quick, and Charlie insists on watching his fav movie so they settle on the couch with Charlie in Steve’s lap. Danny doesn’t see the end of the movie. 

He wakes up slowly, silently listening to a whispered conversation between Charlie and Steve. His son wants to wake him up so he can get pancakes for breakfast while Steve wants to let him sleep a little bit longer. Danny grumbles and burrows into the soft pillow beneath his head. Wait. Pillow? He sits up and the duvet slips down into his lap. Steve is on the bed next to him and Danny realises he’s in Steve’s bed. At least he is wearing his boxers, and as far as he can see Steve is as well. Charlie is out of Steve’s lap and into his the moment Danny sits up. He side eyes Steve, kisses the top of his son’s head and wraps his arms around him. 

“So pancakes huh?”

Charlie nods eagerly and Danny smiles.

“You are just as bad as your uncle Steve.”

Charlie giggles and rolls off the bed. Danny falls back down, rolling onto his side so he can look at Steve properly. 

“Sorry I fell asleep.”

“Mm yeah, you must have needed it. You didn’t even stir when I carried you to bed.”

Danny groans, turns onto his back and throws an arm over his eyes. The bed shifts, and Danny peeks up from under his arm. Steve is leaning towards him and Danny can feel his ears grow hot. 

“So, last ni ..”

There is a loud clunking noise from downstairs and they both look to the door. Steve sighs and gets out of bed. Danny holds his breath for a tiny second before he realises Steve is wearing boxers. It’s a nice view but naked would have been better. He shakes his head, but when he sits up Steve is looking at him with a raised brow as if he knows exactly what was going through his mind just now. His ears are burning again. Steve smirks, shakes his head and walks out in front of him. Danny follows, enjoying every second of being behind Steve. 

After breakfast they drop Charlie off at school, on their way to headquarters Danny gets a call. They have the results. Fuck. On the one hand this will prove that he’s not some kind of long lost prince but somewhere in the back of his mind he wants it to be real. If only because of the financial security. Well, in about fifteen minutes he’ll know for sure. 

When they arrive Eric is already waiting for them. 

“Hey uncle D, They wouldn't let me see the actual testing but I can check their markers now that they have a result. This way I can determine if someone messed with the results.”

“Thanks, first we’ll see what the result is, okay?”

They follow an assistant into a conference room, a video connection is already online. It shows an old man, lying in bed with an oxygen mask on his pillow. A woman in a black pinstriped pantsuit stands up as they enter the room. Danny immediately pegs her for a lawyer, but he has no time to gloat when she introduces herself. 

“Mia Perez, I handle the affairs of his royal highness Victor Amadeus de Savoy, current ruler of Sardinia. Daniel Charles Williams?”

Danny glances at Steve before he answers.

“That would be me?”

“Are you asking or saying?”

“Uhm ..”

“Right, let’s move on. I have a few forms for you to sign before we can commence the meeting. My apologies for the short notice but our hands are tied. Please feel free to share them with your partner.”

She turns to Eric.

“Mister Russo? I have a few forms for you as well. Once signed you can look over the test results.”

Eric just nods his head in awe and signs the forms without looking them over. 

“That was seriously stupid. And because I’m a good lawyer I’m going to give you a second chance.”

Danny cuffs Eric, before bending over the forms himself. Once he’s done with a form he passes it to Steve and starts the next one. It takes him thirty minutes but once done he hadn’t been able to find fault in any of them. Basic clauses with a mandate in it to keep him from revealing any information learned today to third, not approved, parties and a gag order for anything to do with news, journalists and any other form of media. He only signs when Steve nods his approval. 

After reading his papers carefully Eric is now sitting at the table with a big brown envelope.

Ms Perez takes the signed documents and places them in a binder. 

“Okay. The hardest part is over and done with.”

She then outlines a story similar to what Jerry already told them, but less dramatic. The gaps in his story are filled, and he can’t help the horror that fills him as he learns the sordid details of the whole affair. A stolen sample with the intent to blackmail, it sounds like a soap opera.

“It was decided that it would be best to let her have a normal life, far away from Sardinia. Her aunt Liliana took her to the United States of America, with enough money to set them up. And for a good long while they went off the grid.” 

Danny lets out a breath, reaching for a glass with shaking hands. He fills it and gulps down the cool water. He glances at Eric, who for once is silent and looking back at Danny with undisguised curiosity. Steve shifts beside him and places a warm hand on Danny’s back. It anchors him in ways he can’t acknowledge right now. Ms Perez nods at him and continues.

“When King Victor became a father he started looking for his aunt. He eventually thought he found her, but he didn’t approach her at that time. He was afraid she would not welcome the disruption. Over the years he kept checking in and recently decided to try and reconnect. As you already guessed by now, your mother is Princess Eleanor Clara de Savoy, Illegitimate daughter of King Emmanuel Philibert de Savoy and aunt of Victor Amadeus de Savoy.”

She lets that statement sink in, and looks at every individual at the table before she resumes.

“Certain archaic laws prevent your mother and sisters from taking their place in the royal house, but a male descendant from that line will be able to wear the crown. And that mister Williams is where you come in. Your children, male or female are eligible to sit on the throne. Because of the delicate nature we need to register you for succession in short order. Italy has recognized unione civile since two thousand sixteen, so your husband will be a royal consort.”

She concludes her story matter of factly and it takes several seconds for her last words to pierce through Danny’s thoughts. He opens his mouth but Steve tightens his fingers in warning, so he closes his mouth with an audible click. A throat is cleared and Danny focuses on the screen, where a man, **_a king_ ** his mind provides, sits in a bed, staring intently at Danny.

“Uhm, hello.”

He nods at the king, who smiles at him.

“Hello Daniel. It’s nice to finally talk to you. I know all of this is quite a shock and I’m perfectly aware of the changes this will most likely bring to your life. Be assured that nothing is set in stone, you can still decide to walk away. I would however want you to make an informed choice and in that light I’d like to ask you and your family to join me here, in Sardinia, for a short holiday with the option to extend.”

“I .. I don’t really know where to go from here. I came here fully expecting all of this to be a mistake. And my mom. I mean she should know, right? What do I tell my kids? My sisters? What happened with all the money? I mean, we were never poor but we didn’t have piles of money? How come my grandma never told anyone about this?”

The king laughs, shakes his head and catches himself in a coughing fit. A nurse appears beside him, handing him the oxygen mask. After he takes a few deep breaths, he shoos the nurse away. 

“You’re certainly asking the right questions, of which I will try to answer a few. The DNA test shows what I already knew, you are a direct descendant of my grandfather king Emmanuel Philibert. Your family, especially your mother, should know, but I will leave that to your discretion. They are welcome to visit with you, so we can explain it in person. As for the money, I believe it went into real estate. Your grandmother owns six houses in Jersey. For which she receives rent every month. She still has an account in her maiden name. As for her reasons to keep silent, those are her own, you might ask her now that you know.”

Danny nods his head, glances at Eric and back to Steve. 

“Alright, not that I don’t trust your word but I would like for Eric to check the results” The king acknowledges his request, so he continues “I need to speak with my ex wife, I reckon I’ll need a few forms for her to sign.”

Ms Perez smiles at him and slides a beige folder across the table. This time Steve clears his throat.

“I understand the urgency but we will need an actual timeline that we can work with.”

“Of course Steven, may I call you Steven?” His partner dips his head in a yes gesture “I have arranged a private jet for you and your family, it will be ready to depart in three days' time.”

“We can work with that, _if_ we agree to this, we’ll need around ten additional tickets to Sardinia.”

“Yes, of course, Mia will set that up. We’ll have a few days with just your family and mine before they arrive. If that is agreeable?”

Danny sits up, and points at Eric. 

“We'll need an extra ticket back to Jersey for this one, so he can travel with the family. And this will only happen if I can get Rachel to agree with taking the kids out of school.”

“That of course will be arranged and don’t worry Daniel, if the need arises I can have private tutors on standby. That way they don’t miss too much of their education.” 

“How do we get into contact with you?”

“Mia will share her contact info, my nurse is getting fussy, so I am afraid I have to cut this conversation short. I hope to see you and your family in five days time.”

“Thank you for giving me the choice, I will let you know as soon as possible.”

After they say their goodbyes Mia hands Eric a folder, who takes it eagerly. She gives Danny a card with her info and a handwritten phone number on it. And she gives him an extra folder with the gag forms in it. The moment they are outside Eric bursts out in gibberish. 

“Oh my .. Fuck .. That was almost .. this doesn’t happen to .. did you hear .. of course, Jesus you were there .. Grandma! A real life princess! Ma is going to flip! We’re royalty!”

At that last sentence Steve drops his hand heavily onto Eric’s shoulder. 

“Eric. You can’t tell anyone. Not yet.”

“Do you even know what you just signed? Jesus, that was a gag order of the highest command.”

“Yeah, I know. Sorry. Just, it’s all a bit .. you know.”

“Yeah buddy we know, but Danny and I need you to focus on those results. While we go talk to Rachel okay?”

“Yeah, you can count on me uncle D. Also just for my understanding, did you guys get married and not tell anyone? If so you don’t have to worry about Rachel, because Ma will actually kill you.” 

Danny raises a brow at Steve, but the bastard pretends not to notice and tells Eric to mind his business. He then continues to ignore Danny as he strides back to the car. And because Steve has ridiculously long legs, Danny barely keeps up. When he gets to the car, Steve is already sitting and the moment Danny sits down he turns up the volume of the music. He has the audacity to tap Danny’s hand away when he reaches out to the volume button. 

“WE WILL TALK ..”

But Steve just starts humming along with the song, loudly. 

“STEVEN! YOU CHILDISH ASS ..”

The car makes a sharp turn to the right and Danny is forced to grab the dashboard. He stops trying after that and Steve eventually turns down the volume. Before Danny can say anything Steve is already talking.

“What are we going to do if Rachel doesn’t agree?”

“We?”

“Yes, we. We” He gestures between them “are in this together.”

Danny sighs. 

“Fine. We can’t do anything. Rachel has custody and I’m _just_ the father. We might have some leeway considering she kept Charlie from me. So I’m hoping she’s going to agree.”

Steve parks the car at Rachel’s apartment building and they sit quietly for a moment.

“Is this really happening?”

Danny asks softly, leaning backwards and closing his eyes. 

“I think so, I made some discreet inquiries and it seems that the king’s son has a few scandals to his name, nothing major. One stood out though. He divorced last year, while his wife was pregnant. Now the only press release was that the child was not fathered by the prince. The gossip rags very much implied cheating, and some speculation about his ability to perform. But it leads me to believe that he is in fact infertile. The next in line is a cousin with a gambling problem, and a preference to fuck anyone but his wife. Who, in turn, seems oddly content to have no relations at all, and mostly stays out of the public eye. And if she is spotted or mentioned, it’s always positive.”

“Steve! The gag order.” 

“First, this was before I signed anything. Second, Danny, they might ask you to become a prince. We’ll be asked to relocate, start over. Also not to be a Debby downer, but we have a lot of skeletons buried in our closet. The press is going to have a field day!”

Danny takes a deep breath trying to ignore the fluttering butterflies in his stomach every time Steve says ‘ _we’_. He waves the concerns away.

“First talk to the she dragon and then we’ll see where it ends up.”

*****

Fortunately Rachel is home, _unfortunately_ it takes some convincing for her to sign the forms. Oddly enough, the moment she finds out what it’s for she becomes very accommodating. She listens and gasps where she is supposed to, nodding in understanding, the whole nine yards. Danny can’t help the suspicious feeling that crawls up his spine. 

“So that is why we are here, I ..” Steve clears his throat, Danny shoots him a look but starts over anyway “ _We_ would like to take the kids to Sardinia. Grace can do her work online and Charlie is going to be fine if he misses a week or two. But just in case there will be tutors available for homeschooling.”

Rachel is silent for a moment before she busies herself with getting them more tea. Danny shifts nervously in his chair, he had been expecting an outright no. When she finally sits down again, she takes her time putting milk in her tea. After two long minutes she clears her throat.

“Alright. Say I agree to all of this. Where do I stand?”

Danny shoots Steve a confused look, he gets a ‘hell if I know’ shrug in return. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I am the mother of _our_ children Daniel. We’ve always been rocky, the two of us. On and off, very much _on_ even when we shouldn’t have been.”

She reaches out across the table and caresses his hand. Danny recoils, suddenly and with much clarity he sees where this is going. Apparently so does Steve because he narrows his eyes and yanks Danny’s hand from the table and out of Rachel's grasp. Rachel’s eyes widen for a moment before coming to rest on Steve’s grip on Danny’s fingers. A look of disgust passes over her face and Danny’s chest feels tight for a second. 

“I see. Well I’m not sure Charlie is old enough to be away from me for a long period of time.” 

As her words sink in, he forgets about Rachel’s apparent homophobia. 

“I’m sorry what? Yeah he is and he’ll be with me, his father. Not a glorified babysitter.”

“Well Daniel I’m his mother and seeing that I have full custody, you can either go to a lawyer to fight this or you can take me with you.”

“No. You can’t do this. The court will be on my side, considering that you kept him from me for years. Years Rachel!”

“Yes, well. By the time your lawyer clears this up, you’ll no longer need Charlie to come with you.”

“Jesus, Rachel. You can video call him, just like I had to with Gracie, for MONTHS!, when you decided to move to fucking Hawaii!”

“No need to get testy with me Daniel and that was different. Grace had Stan.”

Danny shoves his chair back, fingers curling into fists as he stands up. 

“Charlie will have Steve.”

His voice is raised, an octave away from yelling but he can’t help it. How dare she. 

“I can’t talk to you when you are like this. We’ll talk later, alone," she gives a pointed look at Steve "when you calmed down. Please leave.”

“With pleasure.”

He snarls at her as he stomps out of the apartment. Once he steps outside, he turns around but Steve is not behind him. He tracks back only to hear Rachel’s clipped voice.

“.. You can’t be what he needs. If he is to be royalty he’s better off with me. Think about it, we’ll be a success story, getting back together. True love will always find a way. A prince can’t be a homosexual, you know this. So if you really love him you need to let him go.”

He can’t see Steve’s reaction but Rachel’s next words make it clear that Steve put on his stubborn face.

“Fine. Daniel will see reason where you don’t.”

Danny backs away from the door, stepping into the corridor just as Steve enters the tiny hallway. Back in the car, they don’t talk about what just happened and Steve is letting him stew in peace. Danny is still boiling in anger, he can’t believe Rachel. Has she always been this cunning? The answer comes swiftly, yes. Rachel never does anything if it doesn’t benefit her in some way. Danny knows logically that everyone does this to a degree and maybe that’s why he put up with it. But to see it directed at him so blatantly is disturbing. Thinking back on his marriage with this in mind, the divorce is suddenly cast into a different light. It leaves a bitter taste at the back of his throat. Shaking his head lightly, trying to dispel the train of his thoughts. He can feel Steve’s gaze but he ignores it. They drive back to headquarters in utter silence. 

*****

Upon entering the main hall Danny sees Jerry sitting in his office and he sighs. 

“You got another set of those papers?”

Steve grins at him and Danny suppresses the urge to slap him. He spends the next two hours explaining everything to his friend. With a promise to keep his mouth shut and not tell any of his off the grid friends, Danny tells him to research anything he can find on it. Jerry readily agrees, looking like a kid in a candy store. 

Later that day, Steve asks Danny if he wants to come over for dinner and a game but Danny declines, he has much to think about. 

Dinner is a quick bacon pasta dish and after a shower he finally has time to call Grace. He doesn’t tell her anything yet, just that she has to come home. She agrees but he can tell she has questions. Hanging up he wonders how Grace will react to all of this and he smiles when he recalls her princess phase. God, she was adorable in her pink, frilly dress with her plastic tiara. He texts his mum to see if she can send him those pictures. Getting out a notebook he starts a pro and con list of accepting a royal heritage. An hour later he has more cons than pros and he is done with trying to think up any more. He grabs the good whiskey, an eighteen year old Glenlivet he got from Steve last Christmas and pours himself a full glass. 

He is half way through his second glass when someone knocks on his door. He frowns and glances at the clock. It’s only eight thirty despite the fact that it feels like three in the morning. The knock sounds again and he heaves himself up from the couch. He’s not even surprised to see Rachel when he opens the door or that she’s wearing faded jeans with a tight, vneck, almost see through shirt in his favourite colour. 

“Daniel.”

“Rachel.”

She sighs and rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling at him as she does it. 

“Where is Charlie?”

“Vanessa is watching him.”

She’s trying to look past him into his house and Danny knows she is looking for Steve in particular. 

“Are you going to let me in or is this a bad time?”

Danny relents and steps aside, he opens the door wide but Rachel still manages to brush up against him as she moves into the house. Once he sits down, she sidles up close. Danny doesn’t offer her a drink and he remains silent while he waits for Rachel to speak her mind. 

“So, royalty. I must say Danny this is a surprise but I don’t think it's an unwelcome one?”

“How is this not an unwelcome surprise? Do you even realise what this entails? For our kids? For me? For my family? Jesus Rach, moving to another country? I’ve just settled here! You think the royal family is going to be happy with us as an addition? A loud, middle class family from New Jersey? With me? A divorced broken man with two kids, one conceived while his ex wife was married to another man? Sorry, make that a divorced, _cheating_ broken man.”

Rachel looks shocked at his outburst for a second before a smile settles on her beautiful face. 

“Well, moving isn’t such a big deal. You’ll have your family with you. I’ve checked the royal family and there aren’t many that make good heirs. Middle class or not, our family is lovely.”

She moves even closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. It’s meant to be comforting but Danny has a hard time controlling his reaction, which is shaking her off and moving to the other side of the room. He can still hear the echo of her voice telling Steve that Danny will see reason. Once, okay twice, he admits to himself, he would have fallen for her. She is after all the mother of his children and she is wonderful in that role but Danny isn’t the same man he was years ago. He knows she’s not bad but she is rather calculating, and that means he won’t fall for her again. Rachel squeezes his shoulder bringing him out of his head. 

“We could be a family again. We’ll marry, a second wind, a clean slate if you will. We’ll have our happily ever after.”

She leans in and places a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Danny gently pushes her away.

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

Rachel claps her hands before pressing up against him, kissing him again.

“I knew you’d see it my way once Steve was out of the way. I saw it years ago, how he looked at you.”

For a moment, Danny sees red but he reigns in his rage. He takes a deep breath and shakes off her hands. 

“Yeah, let’s do that and forget about you cheating on me, running away to Hawaii and trying to take my daughter away from me. I can forgive that, in fact I have. We tried again but you decided to go with the better option, again. Only this time you kept my son from me for three years. This too, I forgave. But you have to know that I can’t do this with you again. I’m sorry but I can not and will not be your better option. Steve ..”

“Argh! Steve. It always comes down to him! And may I remind you that you chose him over me!”

Danny blinks and sits back laughing.

“Wow. That .. Well that is something isn’t it.”

Rachel sits back with red cheeks.

“I didn’t mean to be crude. But Jesus Danny you can’t be serious. Princes need wives not fuckbuddies!”

“Whether I’m serious or not has nothing to do with you. Not any more.”

She starts at the quiet conviction in his voice and Danny supposes he sounds rather steely at the moment. 

“They won’t have it. I won’t have it. You have a choice here. You can either take me with you and we’ll see where we end up or you can take Steve and never see your children again.”

Danny suddenly feels calm and he revels in the fact that he finally sees her for what she is. Scared to be left alone and desperate to be the most wanted, he blames his ex mother-in law for that. 

“You won’t do that, so stop threatening me with it. You will always be needed Rach. Our kids need you and I need you to be there for them. This will be difficult and no doubt weird, so you need to get your shit together. But know that we are never going to be a thing again. Ever.”

Rachel sighs and her shoulders sag.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

Danny gives her a look.

“Fine, I’m jealous. I see how he looks at you, I saw it years ago, but that was okay because you didn’t see it. You’ve always been a bit oblivious. This afternoon I saw you looking back and it’s not fair.”

“I never knew you to be homophobic.”

“I’m not. I could care less. As long as you were ignorant of him and his feelings there was a chance for me to, I don’t know, get you back. I guess.”

“Rach, I love you.”

She scoffs and wipes her eyes.

“I do, our marriage wasn’t all bad. We started out alright and you’ll always have a piece of my heart, it’s just that Steve owns the rest of it.”

She smiles at him through her tears.

“We had some good times huh?”

He smiles back and pulls her into a hug. 

She kisses him again and he lets her, because he recognises the kiss for what it is. A goodbye. They both startle when the door suddenly opens, banging against the wall. 

“Sorry, sorry. The wind.”

Steve enters, waving his hand in what Danny supposes is an apologetic gesture, but it actually looks a bit threatening. Rachel gives him a knowing look and Danny shakes his head. 

“Sorry again, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Rachel arches an eyebrow, and gives Steve a one over.

“You were actually. But I highly doubt you’re sorry.”

“Rachel! You were not interrupting anything Steve.”

Steve’s face is doing a funny thing, switching between annoyed and pleased. Rachel rolls her eyes and gets up, patting Danny on the shoulder. Before Danny can say anything she leans down and quickly kisses him on the mouth, smirking at Steve on her way out. 

“I guess letting go isn’t your strong suit huh?”

“Just like holding on isn’t yours.”

Oh boy, Steve is not pulling his punches. Rachel turns to Danny.

“You can always change your mind.”

“He won’t.”

Danny groans and slumps back into the cushions behind him. He hears the door close and he expects Steve to come sit on the couch but when that doesn’t happen he opens his eyes. Steve is at the cabinet, taking a glass out of it. He again surprises Danny when he takes a seat in the chair opposite of him and pours himself two fingers. He watches Steve swirl the whiskey as he silently watches Danny.

“So what did she mean by that?”

Steve is calm, dangerously so. Only his white knuckles belies the relaxed pose. Danny shrugs.

“She gave me an offer, I declined. Charlie can come with us.”

Steve humms, takes a sip and places the glass on the table. 

“Good, that’s good. You deserve better.”

“Uhu, better. Yes. There's a woman at Charlie’s school. Brooke. She’s always nice, and she ..”

“Damn it Danny. No.”

“No?”

Steve doesn’t react but he glares at Danny.

“So now that you are here maybe you can explain why my new found family thinks we are married?”

Steve suddenly looks shifty and he drains the glass as he stands up. He has to move past the couch to get to the door and while Steve is quick, Danny is faster. He pulls Steve onto the couch.

“Oh no buddy, you are in my domain now and you will explain yourself.”

“Taxes are better when married. Also your domain? Are you reading those romance novels again?”

Steve doesn’t say anything else and Danny rolls his eyes as he fixes them both another drink. 

“Steven. Look me in the eye and tell me we are not married for real.”

Again nothing and Danny suddenly isn’t sure he wants to know. 

“Look, I uh .. I’m going to let it go for now. Married or not, tonight I just want to celebrate that I can take my kids with me without too much hassle.” 

Steve bows his head, takes a breath and holds his glass out for a toast. They settle down and Danny puts on the new Tomb Raider, he yawns and cuddles up to Steve who wraps an arm around him. 

*****

Danny blinks awake slowly, burrowing deeper into his sheets. It takes him a full minute to register that he’s not wearing any boxers this time and is in fact very naked underneath the soft cotton sheets. A spark of excitement ignites in his belly but is quickly doused by disappointment when he realises he’s alone. He listens intently but nothing indicates Steve’s presence. He wonders if Steve slept next to him, just as naked. His already plump cock takes an interest in and fills out even more. He reaches down and gives it a tug, he imagines Steve next to him. Or better, behind him, with his cock pressed against Danny’s ass, his fingers wrapped around Danny’s cock and his warm mouth pressed against his shoulder. Danny groans as he fists his cock which is fully hard and already leaking copious amounts of pre cum. Steve would slowly press his cock into his ass and he’d fuck Danny hard. His cock jumps as he imagines Steve using his muscles to hold Danny down and fuck him into submission. Steve would be relentless in chasing his orgasm and Danny would take it, welcome it even. In his mind he’s on his knees, Steve behind him. His fingers would be bruising Danny’s hips, as his hole clenches around Steve’s cock. Fantasy Steve bites his shoulder, marking him and that is all it takes. Danny shudders through an intense orgasm, spilling into his fist and onto his stomach. He’s boneless for the next ten minutes, blissfully floating on cloud eleven. Eventually he drags himself to the bathroom and after a quick shower he heads to the kitchen. Checking his phone he’s not sure how he feels when he doesn’t have a text from Steve. He stops dead in his tracks when he spots a full pot of coffee with a mug next to it. There’s a note on the table ‘ _Wanted to wake up with you, but something always intervenes. Enjoy your coffee, call me when you leave for the airport ps yes I did and yes I was.’_ He flushes and grins, loving the fact that Steve knows him so well. Maybe bursting the bubble isn’t so bad. But if he’s honest it was already gone and they are well on their way into something he’s wanted for years but never had the courage to chase. They finally seem to be on the same level and it feels good. He smiles his way through breakfast and he’s still smiling when he finishes packing. 

He texts Rachel that he’ll pick up Charlie around five, giving her enough time to pack him a bag. Grace will probably go see her mom later to say hello and goodbye. But first he needs to pick her up and explain this whole mess to her. He calls Steve, who he finds out is currently at Toast’s. 

When he arrives Steve is nowhere to be seen and he gets out of the car. The moment he does Steve comes out of the house, closely followed by Adam. The hacker salutes him with a lazy grin and a bow. Danny rolls his eyes and gives him a royal wave back. 

“Jersey. I thought I knew all there is to know about you and yet here we are.”

Danny grins, stepping onto the porch. 

“Not everything is hackable.”

Adam gasps and grabs his chest.

“Blasphemy!”

Danny shakes his head, and gives him a quick hug. They chat for a second before an impatient Steve is tugging his shirt. 

“Sorry, we have to go. Gracie is going to be at arrivals in less than forty minutes and I’d like to be there.”

“We’ll be at the airport in twenty, so relax babe.”

“Traffic, Danny.”

“Fine, we’ll go now.”

They say their goodbyes and as they walk to the car Danny realises his keys aren’t in his pocket. Steve, who is two steps ahead, holds up his hand with the keys dangling from his fingers. Danny huffs, fucking ninja. Once in the car, he studies Steve’s profile. His shirt is tightly wrapped around his biceps, accentuating how big they are. He suddenly remembers his fantasy and a hot flash burns through him and he can feel his cock stir. Steve side eyes him. 

“You okay Danno? You look a bit overheated.”

“I’m fine, watch the road please.” 

Danny fiddles with the air co button, and sighs as a cool blast of air hits him in the face. 

“So, Toast?”

“As I said, we have a lot of skeletons. I made sure that no one will ever find them.”

Danny nods because that makes sense. 

“Thanks, I should have thought of that.”

“We’re partners.”

Steve says, as if that explains it all. Danny smiles, because it sort of does when he thinks about it. They have always been there to pick up each other's slack. It’s one of the reasons they work so well together. Twenty minutes later they park in the restricted area of the airport, he loves Steve’s Navy privilege. Steve insists on buying a purple Lei for Grace, and by the time they are entering the arrivals hall, the plane has already landed. Danny spots her first as she walks out of the gate. Tall, secure and looking so much like her mother it hurts for a second. His baby grew up when he wasn’t looking. He startles when Steve’s hand grabs his, squeezing. 

“Stop that. She’s always going to be your little girl.”

“What? How did you ..?”

“Because I just had the exact same thought.”

Danny stares up at Steve, interlaces their fingers and squeezes back. When a throat is cleared they both turn their head to the intruder. Grace is standing before them, looking pointedly at their entwined hands. Danny pulls his hand back and then drags his daughter into a hug. Steve is right behind him. He watches Grace smile as Steve hangs the lei around her neck. 

Back in the car he lets the joyous chatter wash over him, he loves the easy banter between Steve and his daughter even if they make fun of him. Steve drives them to his place and Danny doesn’t protest. They get out and while Steve fixes them lunch he sits Grace down for a life changing talk. 

He starts with a simple outline of what Jerry told them. Grace proves she’s his daughter by piecing it together from just that. 

“Oh my god dad! Grandma is a princess? For real?”

At his nod, she lets out high pitched noise before visibly calming herself down. 

“Okay, okay. Yeah. That means you are a prince. And Auntie Stella and Bridget as well. Uh princesses I mean. Are you really?”

“Yes. We had it confirmed yesterday. Nobody else knows yet and we need you to keep it between us. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, or even what they are asking us. But I promised to make an informed choice and that means we are leaving for Sardinia tomorrow morning.”

“I’m coming with you? Charlie? Grandma?”

“Yes, it’s why I asked you to come home. We’re picking Charlie up later and the rest of the family will fly out in four days' time.”

Steve picks that moment to come out with a plate of club sandwiches. They sit down to eat, while Grace bombards him with a million questions. Most of which he can’t answer and what he can answer is not complete because he doesn’t know them. Eventually she settles down, eats her sandwich and silently drinks her soda. 

“So when did this happen?”

She gestures between Steve and himself. His jaw audibly clicks shut and he flushes under her gaze.

“What do you mean? Nothing happened.”

He realises the squeak in his voice isn’t convincing anyone. Steve smiles, placing his hand, palm up, on the table and glances at Danny. He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes for a second before he takes Steve’s hand. 

“Fine. something might be going on.”

Grace claps her hands.

“I knew it! Auntie Kono said nothing would come of it because you are both naʻaupō hūpō. But I knew it!” _(ignorant idiots)_

Steve looks vaguely insulted at that, but does not refute it. Leaving Danny with the impression that Kono probably called them idiots or something like that. 

“We are done discussing this,” he pauses “Wait. Why in god's name are you discussing .. uhm .. such things with Kono?”

When Grace opens her mouth he holds up his hands. 

“No. Never mind. I do not want to know.”

The subject is dropped, Danny takes Grace back to his place so she can pack a bag. She asks to be dropped off at Rachel’s and Danny agrees. After that he drives home and gets the last things ready. Steve texts him to come over with the kids for dinner and Danny is too tired to really cook anyway so he readily agrees. When he arrives at Rachel’s Charlie is running towards him. When he reaches Danny, Charlie starts to babble about flying and planes instantly. Grace is slower, carrying Charlie’s backpack, he frowns when he notices that she’s been crying. 

“What’s up?”

Grace doesn’t say anything, just grabs his arm and pulls him along to the car. He looks back at Rachel but she already closed the door. 

They arrive at Steve’s and Charlie is bouncing to get out of the car, Danny for once lets him climb to the front.

“Go find uncle Steve buddy, I’m going to talk with your sister for a minute okay?”

“Okay, Danno.”

They watch as he speeds up the driveway and almost slams into Steve who stepped outside just now. Steve lifts a laughing Charlie into his arms and Danny’s heart skips a beat. 

“You don’t even realise it, do you?”

Danny turns towards her.

“What?”

“Danno, your face does this thing when you look at Steve.”

“Shut it, it does not. I don’t have a face.”

Grace laughs, a real laugh. Danny gives her a look and she laughs harder.

“Gracie, what happened? Why have you been crying?”

She turns away from him and takes a deep breath. 

“You know I love you right? No matter what? I don’t care if you and Uncle Steve love each other.”

All of a sudden he knows exactly why Grace has been crying. He’s going to kill Rachel the next time he sees her. He gently pulls Grace around. 

“Oh monkey, of course I know.”

She buries her head against his chest.

“Good. because I just want you to be happy and if that’s with Uncle Steve then even better, because he gets you.”

“He gets me huh?”

She nods and Danny sighs, smoothing her hair down, he pulls back and kisses her forehead. 

“Come on let’s go and save Steve from your brother.”

End Chapter one


	2. My kingdom, your kingdom

When Danny walks into his kitchen the next morning, it’s to find Steve making breakfast while Charlie gives him instructions from where he sits on the countertop. Grace is watching something on her phone, he silently moves behind her and checks her phone. When Grace sees him the screen goes black.

“Dad!”

“The Princess diaries?”

Grace huffs and scrunches her nose. 

“It’s for research.”

Danny hums and relieves Steve of the spatula, who then picks up Charlie with a woosh and places the giggling boy at the table. Flipping a pancake and humming softly to himself as he deposits it on a plate. He turns when Steve softly taps him on the shoulder. Steve hands him a cup of coffee and Danny moans as he takes the first glorious sip. 

“Mm thank you.”

Steve grins and bumps their shoulders together, his hand sliding down to Danny’s hip which he squeezes.

“Morning Danno.”

Danny turns his head an inch so he can look Steve in the eyes. 

“Morning babe.”

Steve’s whole face is doing a thing and he’s pretty sure his own face is a perfect reflection of said thing. Jesus, he needs to get his head out of the clouds. He puts down the coffee and forks more butter into the pan, he needs at least ten pancakes. 

After breakfast they rush to get ready, Grace is last minute changing outfits while Steve is trying to keep Charlie from tripping up Danny. Just before ten there’s a knock on the door, Danny ushers everyone out to the taxi and closes up. He stands there, in front of the door, watching Steve struggle to put Charlie into the carseat, he smiles and shakes his head. Stepping off the porch feels like a new beginning, this trip would change everything. 

******

After a gruelling thirty hour journey they finally arrive at their destination at six thirty in the morning. Danny gets out of the car and stares up at the castle, the morning sky behind it a gorgeous shade of pink and red. Steve whistles as he comes up next to him. Grace is already taking pictures and he has to remind her not to post anything, at least not yet. Pouting, she puts her phone away. Steve helps the driver with their suitcases, while Danny lifts a sleepy Charlie out of the car. The taxi drives off and he moves over to Steve, who leans in, softly brushing away the hair from the angelic face resting on Danny’s shoulder. He looks up only to see Steve watching him with that face again. The sound of a door opening in the early morning silence startles them away from each other. A man steps out and waits for them to walk up the stairs. He introduces himself as Leon. He asks them to follow him as he takes two suitcases. Grace bumps his shoulder with a sly grin, he huffs and rolls his eyes as they trail after Leon.

They decline the offer for an early breakfast, sleep is a priority. Grace is given a room for herself. She kisses Danny and Steve before disappearing with a tired smile. Their own room is adjacent to another room for Charlie. He wakes up Charlie to show him around and point out where they will be. He keeps the door cracked open as he backs out slowly. Steve is rummaging through his duffel as Danny comes back in.

“He went back to sleep okay?”

“Yeah, luckily the trip tired him out. Not looking forward to the jet-lag”

Danny yawns and Steve smiles at him.

“He’s not the only tired one. You want the first shower?”

“Nah you go first, by the time I untied my laces you’ll be done.”

Steve shrugs, and moves into the bathroom. Danny opens his suitcase, finding his toiletries. True enough by the time Danny collects everything Steve is walking back into the room in his boxers and towelling his hair. Danny can’t help licking his lips as he lets his eyes roam the exposed skin, flushing when he meets Steve’s amused eyes. He retreats with a muttered ‘don’t wait up’. It’s a bliss to wash off the travel smell, and he lingers under the hot water spray. When he eventually re enters the room, the curtains are drawn. There is a soft glow coming from what he assumes is his side of the bed. Oh god. This time they are going to be sharing a bed on purpose with both of them fully awake and aware. He quietly slips under the cool blankets and turns off the light. Almost immediately Steve turns towards him and pulls him into his chest, Danny goes without struggle. He relaxes as Steve pushes his nose into Danny’s neck and inhales. The nuzzling is soothing and he’s out within seconds.

He wakes up still tired, he becomes aware of Charlie crawling over him and planting his feet on certain soft body parts. Apparently he gets Steve as well in his effort to wriggle in between them, he hears a grunt and Charlie's weight disappears. Moments later he turns around and cuddles up to Charlie who is cuddled up to Steve. He sinks back under. 

The second time he wakes up it’s to a whispered conversation between Grace and Steve. He opens one eye, Grace is standing beside the bed, still in her pjs. The moment they make eye contact she lifts the sheet and slips in, settling against his other side. Charlie is lying halfway on his chest, a thumb in his mouth and twirling his finger around a lock of hair. Danny’s hand finds Steve’s under the blankets and he squeezes before interlacing their fingers. 

“What time is it?”

Grace’s answer is muffled against his side.

“Right monkey, didn’t quite catch that.” 

She lifts her head looking at him bleary eyed.

“Twelve thirty. And I am tired but I can’t sleep any more.”

“All right, we are getting up. Have lunch and then find our host.”

Steve sits up, taking Charlie with him.

“Yeah, sounds perfect. How about a shower first buddy?”

Charlie nods his head eagerly, Danny watches them as they disappear into the bathroom. Carding his fingers through Grace’s hair he hugs her close for a moment before sitting up as well. Grace groans and pulls the sheet over her head. 

“Go shower, we’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

She’s still in bed when he reaches the bathroom. 

“We won’t wait for you.”

He singsongs at her and gets a pillow to his head for the effort, laughing he throws it back. He walks in on Charlie standing in the shower, loudly singing ‘ _the wheels of the bus_ ’ and Steve brushing his teeth. Danny helps Charlie with his hair, soaping and rinsing before leaving him with a wash cloth full of body wash. He switches with Steve, who gets soaked trying to get Charlie out of the shower. He smirks when he meets Steve’s eyes through the mirror. 

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up. Hurry up already.”

He waves Steve away, but still finishes his business quickly. Charlie is already dressed and is watching a cartoon in Italian, Steve smiles at him and rushes back into the bathroom. Twelve minutes later they knock on Grace’s door and get a ‘five more minutes’ back. Luckily it’s closer to two minutes. Once downstairs they look for the kitchen but are intercepted by Leon who guides them to the parlor, which has a table that is set for four. After lunch it’s already close to two and Danny is impatient to meet the King. 

They are led to the east wing and come to a stop in front of a double door, Leon knocks two times, takes a step back and waits. Eventually a young woman opens the door, she looks sturdy and she’s wearing a white scrub shirt. 

“Hi, I’m Maria. The King is bedridden at the moment, he’ll be in bed during your visit. There will be an oxygen machine and a heart monitor. Nothing too scary.” She smiles at Charlie who hides behind Steve’s legs. “Please come in.”

They follow her into what seems to be a anteroom, she moves on into a spacious room with tall windows on the east side, looking out over the sea. In the middle of the room is a king size, four poster bed. The King is sitting up, with a bright smile on his face. 

“Mister Williams! It’s so good to finally meet you and your family.”

“Danny please. And it’s very nice to meet you, ah, I actually have no clue what to call you?”

He’s blushing in embarrassment, but the king just smiles at him.

“Victor is fine” He looks at Grace and then at Charlie, who is still clinging to Steve “And who might these two be?”

Danny holds out his hand to Charlie but he shakes his head and throws his arms up in a pick-me-up gesture Danny was sure he grew out of three years ago. Steve picks him up stroking a hand over Charlie’s back. Danny turns back to Victor.

“Right, this here is Charlie, he’s six and actually never this shy. And this is Grace” She steps forward, shaking the King’s hand with a soft ‘pleased to meet you’ The king looks back at Danny and then at Steve. “And this is my .. uh my Steve.”

“I see. Welcome to Sardinia and to my, our, ancestral home.”

It’s awkward at first, but after the necessary small talk everyone relaxes, Leon comes in with a tray of coffee and tea with an assortment of cookies to go with it. After tea, Maria takes the kids to look at the indoor swimming pool at the back of the house. Victor asks him to retrieve a box from the wall of all places and shares a few photos of Danny’s mom when she was a child. Danny stares at the photos for a long time before he hands them to Steve, Victor then gives him a photo that he recognises quite well. It’s the one that stands on his mother's dresser. 

“How did you get this?”

“Believe it or not, your mother being sent away was not an easy decision. However at the time it was the most logical one. By the time I was old enough to understand my parents' reasoning I wanted to find your mother. I looked for over ten years and finally found her but by then she already started her family, she seemed happy. My wife and I .. we didn’t want to disturb that. But I never lost her again.” 

He passes more photographs, his mother always there but the family ever changing. They talk about family then, Victor explains how his own father found out about Eleanor. He tells them what eventually drove his father to let go of his sister. Danny sits still as he listens, staring at the photos, how happy his mother looks in them. Danny doesn’t know how to feel about all of it. He’s angry on his mother’s behalf but then he thinks that they acted out of best interest for her. The king clears his throat. 

“My son, Louis, will be joining us shortly. I hope you are okay with that?”

“Of course, we would like to meet him.”

“Good, because he has been looking forward to meeting you since he found out about your existence.”

Danny shares some small details of his family life and the King is visibly moved to hear how happy his childhood was. A timid knock on the door breaks their conversation and Victor calls out to enter. A lean, tall man, with dark curly hair and a moustache enters the room. He’s wearing a light grey suit with a white shirt underneath. He glances at Danny and Steve and then moves to Victor.

“Buon pomeriggio, padre. È bello vederti, come stai?” _(Good afternoon, father. it's good to see you, how are you?)_

“Bene, figlio mio. Tuo cugino è qui, lascia che ti presenti. Daniel, Steven, this is my son Prince Louis Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Sardinia.” _(Good, my son. Your cousin is here, let me introduce you.)_

“Father, they know that!” 

The prince takes a step towards Danny and holds out his hand. Danny takes it and gives it a firm shake. 

“Danny Williams, it’s a pleasure.”

“Steve McGarrett.”

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you ever since my mother told me the story about the lost princess. Every year at Christmas she would add another Williams family member, but it was always our secret and I never shared. Not even with Lena, my ex wife.”

Danny is baffled by what he hears, he thought this was a new thing for all of them. Well relatively new in case of the King but here Louis seems to know all about them. Louis laughs at his expression. 

“I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything about your family. My grandmother never told us anything, not even my mother.”

That sobers them all up quickly. Victor and Louis share their family history readily, not leaving anything out. Louis even tells them about his infertility and how grateful he is that Danny didn’t dismiss their request. Victor expresses his gratitude as well. There is a knock on the door and Maria pokes her head in. Victor beckons her in, she is followed by Grace and Charlie. Danny introduces them to Louis. Charlie isn’t as shy this time around and soon the room is filled with Charlie’s chatter about flying and the great whooshing sound it made in his ears. Eventually Leon comes to get them to prepare for dinner, Danny leaves the room with a smile on his face. For the first time since this whole mess started he feels like everything will be alright. 

They meet back up at the parlor, the table is set for seven this time and besides Louis, Maria joins them as well. So far dinner is uneventful, Victor asks Grace about her college and she answers them enthusiastically. Louis asks them about the task force and Steve gives him the most generic answer he possibly can. Charlie is leaning against Danny's side, half asleep by the time dessert is served. It’s a beautiful flan, covered in raspberry sauce and fresh berries. The King divides it between them but before he can taste it the door slams open and a short, dark haired man storms in.

“Zio! Ho bisogno di parlare con voi!” _(Uncle! I need to talk to you!)_

Charlie startles causing him to halfway slide off his chair. Danny reacts and pulls him onto his lap. 

“Ah Diego. Vorrei che chiamassi prima di visitare. Ho ospiti. Qualunque cosa sia, sono sicuro che può aspettare fino a domani.” _(Ah Diego. I wish you would call before visiting. I have guests. Whatever it is I'm sure it can wait till tomorrow.)_

The man, Diego his mind provides, is now looking at Louis with a sneer. 

“Cugino.” _(Cousin)_

Louis coughs and lifts his head. 

“Diego.”

Diego then looks at Danny and then at Steve, narrowing his eyes at Grace and especially Charlie. Suddenly Diego’s whole demeanor changes.

“Mio re, chi potrebbero essere queste persone adorabili?” _(My king, who might these lovely people be?)_

“These are my English guests.”

He turns to Danny with a smile on his face, he holds out his hand and Danny takes it. 

“Good evening, I’m Diego Felix Saxe-Courland, second in line for the throne of Sardinia.”

“Daniel Charles Williams and this is Charlie, his big sister Grace and my partner Steve.”

“Williams? Never heard of that family. How do you know my uncle?”

Danny doesn’t care for the man’s tone and he grits his teeth.

“You wouldn’t, we’re from Hawaii. I don’t think that is any of your business.”

“You’ll find that it’s very much my business. I assume you came here with some kind of proof you are a long lost relative?” He then gives Danny a one over. “And asking for money by the looks of you. Rest assured american trailer trash like yourself will not get any from my family.”

Several things happen at once, Louis stands up, red in the face, yelling at his cousin. The King slams his hand onto the table and loudly berates Diego, Maria rushes out of the room into the hall and Steve moves so fast Danny doesn’t really see him until he’s in Diego’s face slamming a fist into the stupid man’s nose. Then Charlie is crying, Grace is yelling and Steve is whispering to Diego. Danny can only sit there in stunned silence trying to console his son. Maria comes back in with Leon and two bodyguards, one of them restrains Steve while the other handles Diego. They look to the King who takes a deep breath as he looks at the still struggling Diego. 

“Diego, that is quite enough! I’m appalled and ashamed of your behaviour. You have overstayed your welcome. We’ll talk when you’ve come to your senses.”

The man splutters in outrage as he’s guided out of the room. Victor turns to a silent Danny and watches as Steve plucks a sniffling Charlie out of his father's arms.

“I am so sorry. Diego is .. well, he’s a horrible person to be honest, but his parents are good people.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Louis shakes his head.

“We should have known he’d come by. He has eyes and ears everywhere.”

Danny breathes in deeply and watches as Steve gets Charlie to make fun of the flan. He nods his head once and that’s that, they focus back on dessert. Only Danny is still seething, he’d like to follow the asshole out. He glances at Steve only to find him already looking back. Steve smiles, Danny relaxes his shoulders an inch. He picks up his spoon and just before he takes a bite he feels Steve’s hand on his knee, softly squeezing. Danny lets out a long breath and all the tension leaves his body. After dessert Maria takes Grace and Charlie back to their rooms with a promise to keep Charlie up as close to his own bedtime as possible. When they are alone, the king turns to Louis and nods his head. His cousin takes a deep breath.

“Diego is actually one of the reasons we came looking for you. As you know I’m infertile. What you don’t know is that we had been trying to have a baby for years. After our last try I wanted to know if it was me before putting that burden on my wife. I got tested without her knowledge and when I planned to share the devastating results, she gave me the _happy_ news. It wasn’t a good night. She never told me who the father is but I have my suspicions.” He huffs and shakes his head. “Diego wanted to be king pretty much all his life and hated me for being next in line. I think he even went as far as trying to assassinate me, his hatred intensified when gossip mongers made speculations about when the next Prince or Princess would be born. I think it was then that he started paying more attention to my wife. And when he suddenly started acting nice .. as I said, I have my suspicions.”

Danny blinks, because wow. That was all kinds of fucked up. Louis gives him a sad smile.

“We, my father and I, want to avoid him inheriting the throne at all costs. And this is where you come into the story.”

Danny nods his head, he understands the why now. Louis sighs before he continues.

“I would like to make Grace and Charlie my heirs, so that if anything happens to me Grace can have a choice, if she abdicates then you, Danny, will be regent until Charlie can make a decision. If you agree to this, then it will be public within hours of me filling the papers. We, the pr team, my father and I, don’t think there’ll be a negative backlash because while he is of royal blood, Diego is not liked by the people. We think the press will love you and your family. You are an icon of surviving and coming out on top in the face of adversity and your husband is a decorated Navy SEAL. So I think that will work to our advantage.” Louis sighs again. “I had hoped to tell you tomorrow and not under the strain of Diego’s visit.” 

Danny laughs at that. 

“I think him coming over gave us the perfect opening to start the conversation. Also this way I have more time to wrap my head around all of this. I’m glad the ‘why is this happening’ is answered.” He looks at Victor and then at Louis. “I’m so very sorry that this happened to you.”

Louis shrugs.

“It is what it is. I hope that you’ll give this careful consideration. If you have any questions please feel free to ask them.”

“All right, I have obviously thought about this ever since your lawyer gave us the results. Is Grace going to be alright finishing school where she is now? Do we, as a family, have to relocate closer to you? What will happen with my sister? My mother and father? And last, even though I loathe to bring it up after what that asshole just accused me of, what are the financial consequences?”

Victor clears his throat and smiles.

“Solid questions Daniel, and for once I can answer them all. Grace will absolutely be fine finishing school in America, although it might be a good idea for her to take lessons in Italian. But that counts for all of you. You won’t have to relocate, that won’t be an issue as long as we are both alive.” He gestures between Louis and himself before he continues. “Your sisters will be part of the royal court but won’t have a claim on the throne, same goes for your mother and father. I would like it if you could spend as many holidays as possible here with us, so we can get to know each other and you can learn to speak Sardo, our native language. I hope your parents and your sisters will be open to that as well. As for the money, the moment you sign the papers, you and your family will receive a monthly allowance of eight thousand three hundred and fifty dollars. This money will come out of our own treasury, set apart from the public funds. The amount is a stipulation for heirs only so your sisters will not get as much but they will be provided with a small allowance as well.”

Danny sinks back into the chair, feeling a bit weak. 

“Jesus, that’s too much. I don’t think I’ll be comfortable taking that kind of money and not working for it. I mean you know I work for a living right? We’re not rich, but we get by.”

Victor starts laughing and Louis joins in. Danny scowls. 

“No sorry, we are not laughing at you. My father meant each. You and your husband both. Your children won’t get an allowance as long as they are under the age of twenty one. I understand your apprehension but you will need the money once you agree to becoming part of our family. The flying and state visits alone will put a dent in your savings. The money is yours to do with as you please, but you might want to consider a charity.” 

“All right, we’ll talk it over and discuss it with Grace as well. Thank you for your patience, you’ll have an answer before my family arrives.”

Danny finishes his tea and places the cup carefully back on the plate. He side eyes Steve who just finished his flan, he looks back at Victor.

“Right, I’m ready to retire. Hopefully the jet lag will be better tomorrow.”

Louis stands up and Danny and Steve do as well. 

“Dinner was amazing, especially desert.”

“Yeah it was. Are we having breakfast together tomorrow?”

Trust Steve to think about food just after having consumed his body weight in lasagna. 

“Unfortunately not, I’m taking Maria and my father to see his cardiologist. We will be back before lunch.”

“Ah good, you hear that babe, you can sleep in.”

“Actually, Louis I was hoping to get a swim in tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course. You can use the swimming pool or you can go down the stone steps behind the house, there’s a private beach. Just make sure to tell Leon when you leave for the beach, he’ll watch out for you.”

“Thank you, we’ll see you tomorrow at lunch then.”

“Good night. I really enjoyed spending the day together like this.”

Victor’s smile is bright as he stands slowly.

“I had a lovely time as well. I hope you have a good night's rest and I will see you tomorrow at lunch.”

Louis helps his father into the wheelchair, and says his goodbyes as well. Danny follows Steve out into the hallway. 

“You’ve been awfully quiet tonight.”

“Yeah, been thinking. We’ll talk in our room, okay?”

Danny narrows his eyes but nods his head and if Danny walks just a bit faster it’s not because he’s nervous. He’s just curious. A serious Steve is never good. They meet Maria just as she leaves the room. After a quick goodnight, they find Grace wrestling Charlie into his pjs. She sighs as Charlie releases a battle cry and jumps towards Steve, confident that he’ll never hit the ground. Danny’s heart stops for a millisecond and starts again when Steve easily catches Charlie. He sits down on the bed and pulls a yawning Grace into a one armed hug. Steve dumps Charlie on the bed and sits down in a chair across from them. Danny catches Charlie and drags him into his lap. He finishes what Grace started and drops a kiss to the crown of his head. Steve clears his throat.

“Gracie, I’m going for a swim tomorrow.”

“Yes, of course I’ll join you.”

Danny shakes his head.

“Ugh. we are on holiday. Why can’t you relax for a few days? Huh? It’s not healthy, I’m telling you.”

“Why don’t you join us Danno? Swimming is good for you.”

“Because I’m on a holiday.” 

He picks up Charlie and holds him up to Grace, who kisses his cheek. Danny aeroplanes him over to Steve, who gives the giggling boy a kiss as well. After brushing his teeth he puts an exhausted Charlie to bed. Danny gets them a drink and he sits down besides Grace. They discuss the terms for accepting the heir title. Grace is more than ready to accept anything that’ll make her a princess. Danny asks her to really think it through, put a list together with pro’s and con’s. She agrees to that, but Danny thinks they have already decided to keep their new found family, signed papers or not. Grace leans in and gives him a kiss, she moves to Steve and kisses his cheek as well. When she is gone Danny falls back onto the bed, throwing his arm over his eyes. 

“I’m so tired and I’m sure I’m going to regret this but why were you so quiet tonight?”

He can hear Steve sigh so he sits up. 

“Well?”

Steve looks at him then, shifting and then scowls. 

“We are married, Danny. For anyone looking we have been for at least three years. But it might not hold up to the scrutiny of the press. It may be better to come clean now, so they can’t catch us in a lie. You just need to give me time to contact Toast.”

Danny groans and lets himself fall back again.

“Jesus McGarrett. You don’t do anything by halves huh? Tell me it’s legal at least.”

“It is.”

“I’m not even going to ask why. If it holds up in court then fuck it. You’re stuck with me.”

“Danny, the restaurant. It was easier.”

Steve sounds anxious with a side of defeat. Danny closes his eyes. 

“What else?”

When Steve doesn’t answer, Danny throws a pillow in Steve’s general direction.

“What else Steven?”

“I needed to know you would be taken care of in case of me dying, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Yes. thank you. And in case you weren’t listening before I said I was fine with it and that no matter what you’re stuck with me.”

Danny startles when the bed dips, he opens his eyes and sees Steve looking down at him. He sucks in breath, it’s been a long time since someone looked at him like this. Steve leans in, breath ghosting over Danny’s lips and he shivers. Steve smirks before he takes Danny’s mouth in a searing kiss. Danny’s fingers take a hold of Steve’s hair, yanking him down and deepening the kiss. Steve follows him easily, licking into Danny’s mouth. Danny’s hands find their way to Steve’s back, slipping under his shirt, stroking the warm skin. When the door in between the rooms opens they scramble apart. Charlie comes in, softly crying and Danny beckons him over. 

“What’s up buddy?”

“I miss mummy.”

“Ah tell you what, we’ll call her right now. See how she is doing?”

Charlie wipes his eyes and nods yes. Danny fishes his phone from the night stand and Steve disappears into the bathroom. Thirty minutes later Charlie is sprawled between Danny and Steve, sleeping without a care in the world. Danny however keeps replaying their first kiss. It was everything Danny feared it to be and he’s afraid now that he had a taste he won’t be able to give up. After an hour of overthinking every angle of how a relationship would pan out the bed shifts and Steve gets up. Danny holds his breath as he watches Steve walk around the bed but instead of going for the bathroom he detours to Danny’s side of the bed. Cold air breezes over his legs and he shivers, Steve slides in behind him and pulls Danny flush against his own body.

“You’re thinking too loudly Danno.”

Steve grumbles, breath hot against his neck. 

“I .. Where are we going with this Steve? I’m .. I need to know. It’s driving me nuts.”

Danny whispers harsly and Steve sighs, tightening his arms. Charlie’s arm twitches and they fall silent for a moment.

“We’ll just have to see Danno, but wherever this leads, we’re in this together.”

Danny relaxes, nodding his head because it’s exactly what he wanted to hear. Then his eyes fly open. _It is exactly what he wanted to hear._

“Steven. I swear to all that is holy if you ..”

Steve’s fingers on his chin interrupt him, his head is turned and soft lips find him in the dark. The kiss is gentle and it sort of settles his nerves. 

“Danny, please stop stressing, I married you for a reason.”

Oh. Danny suddenly realises Steve _married_ him. Steve loves him. He blindly seeks out Steve’s lips again, giving him a lingering kiss. 

“Okay. I can work with that.”

He whispers as he settles down again, he feels Steve’s lips on the back of his neck, mouthing words into the skin. He catches _‘Me too’_ and something that feels like _‘love you’_ just before he sinks into sleep.

****** 

For once Danny is awake before Steve and even before Charlie. His son migrated to the edge of the bed while he himself is wrapped around Steve. He stays still, breathing in Steve’s scent, enjoying his warmth. His mind is quiet, silent in the wake of last night's almost confession. He feels Steve come awake, muscles shifting, a deep breath and a low hmmm as fingers slowly start trailing down his spine. 

“Time’s it?”

“Don’t know, it’s still dark out.”

“I’m going to see if there’s someone awake. I’d like a smoothie before going out.”

Danny sighs and snuggles closer for a second before he untangles himself and lets Steve go. Steve brushes a kiss over his temple, he leaves the bed with a whispered ‘I’ll wake up Gracie’. 

Danny blinks awake what feels like hours later, but the orange light filtering through the gaps in the curtains tells him it might be closer to thirty minutes. Charlie is awake and is silently staring at him, which is rather creepy. 

“Hey buddy, you ready for a shower and some breakfast?”

“Pancakes?”

“First a shower and then I see what we can do about pancakes.”

He’s talking to air because Charlie is already at the bathroom door, he rolls his eyes, wishing he was that quick when he has to get to school. An impatient _‘Danno!_ ’ echoes out of the bathroom, he rolls out of bed and follows his son’s voice. 

When they arrive downstairs Leon is already waiting for them. He asks the older man if he can use the kitchen to make pancakes, he looks appalled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think the kitchen staff would be in this early in the morning?”

“No worries, the King and Prince Louis already had their breakfast so I’ll just take your order to the kitchen and you can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and juice for the little prince.”

Danny takes a seat as Charlie inspects the rest of the room. Leon returns swiftly placing a tray on the table. 

“Hey Leon? What time did they leave for their swim?”

“They left twenty minutes ago.Your husband said to tell you they’d be back for breakfast and if you go hungry to ask for the remaining smoothie.”

Danny looks at the butler and blinks. 

“Smoothie? For breakfast? Of course he did. Okay, let’s have it then. I still like some pancakes later.”

“Of course, your daughter already ordered that.”

Danny shakes his head and smiles. 

“Right, they know me. A little too well it seems.”

Leon disappears back to the kitchen, when the door opens again Diego saunters in with three green smoothies. Danny instantly stands up, eyes searching out Charlie who doesn’t even notice the other man. Diego flashes an apologetic smile, places the smoothies on the table and holds out his hands in a sign of surrender.

“I’m so glad to catch you, I wanted to apologise for last night. I’d like to explain if you’d let me.”

Danny narrows his eyes but doesn’t see an immediate threat so he sits back down.

“All right. Let’s hear it then.”

The asshole smiles again, hands him a smoothie and sits down.

“Okay, first of all, I am very sorry. A friend, she’s staff, called me yesterday with an, quite honestly, outlandish rumour going around the palace. A self proclaimed prince arrived with his family.” he takes a breath and makes it a point to look Danny in the eye as he continues. “Of course my first instinct is distrust and to protect my family against con artists.”

By this point Charlie has wandered over and Danny hands him the last smoothie. Danny picks up his own glass and takes a sip, for a brief second he wonders about the bitter taste before he’s once again listening to Diego. 

“We’ve had our fair share of ingannatore, uh .. Deceivers, coming here over the years. They all claim to be sons and daughters of the princess that’s supposed to be lost. So I reacted. I was horrible. Now that I know the truth I feel like a fool. Can you forgive me?”

Danny takes another sip and sighs. It’ll be no use holding a grudge, but that still doesn’t mean he has to like the guy. 

“Yes, because I understand the need to protect one's family.”

“Good, I’m so relieved. I do hope we can find the time to get to know each other while you are visiting.”

Danny gives him a short smile and picks up his glass. He frowns at the slight uncontrollable tremble in his hand. Diego finishes off his smoothie.

“Thank you so much for hearing me out. I might come back later, I would love for you to meet my wife.”

After he leaves Danny takes his time to finish the green yuk, washing it away with coffee. When eight thirty rolls around, Danny feels off. He’s sweating and his stomach is cramping. Charlie is talking to him but he can’t focus, nausea is threatening to overwhelm him. He tries to swallow but his throat feels tight, he starts to panic when he can’t catch his breath. 

“Danno? Danno!”

He wants to answer but darkness is creeping around the edges of his vision. Seconds or minutes later a cool cloth is placed over his head. 

“Daniel? What happened? Are you allergic?”

It’s Leon and Danny shakes his head. But he points at the smoothie, it’s the only thing that could have given him this reaction. Leon gives him a glass of water, and he gulps it down. Too fast and his whole body rejects it. He bends over and loses his stomach content on the shiny floor. A door is slammed open and suddenly Steve is there, it instantly calms him down. Steve always knows what to do. 

“Danny? Look at me please!”

It takes some effort but he manages to look at Steve. 

“Steve. Babe. I don’t feel so good.”

That earns him a laugh. 

“Yes I can see that. Is this the only thing you had?”

Steve is pointing at the smoothie and Danny nods.

“And the coffee.”

Charlie is tugging his sleeve and Danny ruffles his hair. 

“It’s okay, I’m okay.”

“Did the bad man hurt you?”

“No buddy, he just came to apologise.”

“Bad man? Danny, who is he talking about?”

“Diego was here, he came over to .. Oh that son of a bitch.”

His stomach cramps again, sweat pouring off his face as he vomits up the last of his coffee and smoothie. When he catches his breath he wipes his mouth.

“He brought us the smoothies, coming over to apologise. He said someone from the staff informed him of our arrival? He left rather quickly. And he took his glass.”

Steve turns to Leon.

“We need to get him to a hospital, and I want the police here. This needs testing.”

Steve is holding up the glass. Leon looks at the glass and then at Danny.

“Diego was here? This morning? Because Lisa told me you came to get the smoothies yourself.”

“No, no. he came in here with this whole story about protecting his family against gold diggers. And I just ate it up, because it sounded so logical.”

“Right, no need for testing, I know exactly what that bastard used. Excuse my language. I’ll be back shortly.”

Leon leaves the room and Danny chuckles weakly. 

“Wow, not even in Italy for two days and someone tries to kill me.”

“Don’t .. Don’t joke Danno. You’re lucky you vomited most of it up.”

Leon comes back in, and Grace picks up Charlie. Slight panic takes a hold of Danny.

“Stay where I can see you!”

The panic in his voice is obvious, and Grace nods and takes Charlie to the couch in the corner of the room. Leon places a vial on the table, it’s condensed, so likely it comes out of the fridge.

“You see, years ago Diego came around here often. Whenever they fought, Prince Louis got sick, we all thought that it was nerves. It took us a few weeks to figure it out and when we got his blood tested it contained high levels of black widow venom. No official charges were ever made, but we’ve made sure to keep antivenom on hand ever since.”

“And how do you know this is it? He could have changed tactics?”

“The anti venom won’t do any harm and I think Daniel is already starting to feel better?”

“Yes actually.”

“It’s because in his hurry and anger he gave you a high dose and you just ejected most of it out of your system.”

He pulls out a syringe and fills it, he gestures for Danny to push up his shorts.

“This will likely sting, and I need you to go lie down for a few hours after this.”

At his nod, Leon punches the needle in and Danny’s leg twitches. 

Steve rolls up a pancake, giving it to Danny who takes it even though the thought of food is upsetting. Steve must have guessed his thoughts because he urges Danny to take a bite. 

“It’ll give you back the energy you lost. Just eat please.”

Danny breathes in through his nose and takes a bite. When it doesn’t immediately turns his stomach he takes another. Steve lifts him up and into his arms, Danny swats at Steve’s shoulder. 

“Not a damsel!”

“I know baby, I know. But I just like to be your hero.”

“The kids, Steve the kids.”

Grace is already besides them with Charlie following close behind. Steve carries him effortless up to their room.

“Really? You just swam for like an hour and you still have all this strength? Show off.” 

Danny scoffs, Grace laughs and Steve smiles at him. Charlie is running ahead and opens the door for them. Steve takes him into the bathroom, sits him down on the toilet and turns on the shower. 

“Can you stand?”

Danny stands up and although his legs are wobbly he remains upright. He smiles at Steve and slowly starts to remove his clothing. When Steve makes no attempt to leave him he raises an eyebrow. 

“You just got poisoned on my watch, I’m not leaving you.”

Danny shrugs, drops his boxers and gets into the shower.

“Well as long as you are here, get me my toothbrush will you?”

Seconds later the glass door slides open just enough for Steve to give him the toothbrush. He brushes his teeth while he enjoys the feeling of the cold sweat washing away. 

When he gets out Steve is still there, waiting with a fluffy, white towel. Danny wants to protest as Steve scrubs his hair and wraps him in the large towel but he enjoys the pampering. Once dressed Steve leads him to the bed and he lays down with a soft sigh and closes his eyes. 

The whole episode took a lot out of him because the next time he opens his eyes it’s to Grace watching a movie with Charlie at the end of the bed. He’s lying on his side, face smushed into Steve’s thigh who is sitting up against the headboard with his fingers carding through Danny’s hair. He shifts slightly and Steve’s hand stops moving. 

“Are you back with us?”

Danny smacks his lips together and nods his head yes.

“How long?”

He croaks out, and Steve’s fingers retreat.

“Most of the day, it’s nearly three. How are you feeling?”

“Good, I feel a bit bruised, stomach is better, no more sweating so that’s good. I think I want another shower and coffee. Pancakes maybe.”

“All right, you stay here. I’m taking the kids with me. Maria wants to bake cookies with them. _If_ that’s okay with you. Diego is not allowed on the palace grounds. So they are more than safe."

“If you are sure they are safe, I don’t mind.”

“I checked with security, made sure they will keep him out. Although I don’t think he’ll have the guts to show his face today. Leon figured out who informed the ba ..” and though they are whispering, Steve glances at Charlie before he changes course “ _a_ hole and she’s been fired.”

Grace has turned her attention to them, shifting backwards to give Danny a kiss. 

“I’m so happy you’re okay.”

“More than okay monkey.”

“Yeah, Gracie, a bit of poison isn’t going to kill our Danno. They tried that before and failed miserably.”

Grace laughs at that, she hits Steve’s shoulder and Danny drags her into a full hug, smiling when he feels Charlie clambering over his legs. He lets his knuckles brush over Steve’s leg and the other man catches his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. Charlie is plucked from his lap and Grace sits up, following Steve off the bed. Steve holds out his hand and Danny uses the leverage to pull himself upright. He's still wobbly but not nearly as bad as he was this morning. He gets to the bathroom all on his own, even though Steve follows him closely. Steve eyes him up and down.

“You okay showering by yourself?”

Danny takes a moment to assess his body. His thigh feels bruised, his throat is tender, stomach is off but not to the point of nausea. 

“I’m fine Steve. Go get me my coffee.”

Steve looks at the door, then back at Danny. He seems indecisive for a second and then he leans in, their lips brush together and Danny’s heart kicks up a notch. But Steve is gone before he can react. Danny stands under the hot water, soaping up his body and thinking about Steve. About the kiss and possible alone time and despite the aches a certain part of him takes an interest in the course of his thoughts. He gives his cock a few tugs, no real intent on finishing himself off but enjoying the feel nonetheless. He vaguely hears the door and the lure of coffee has him out of the shower in seconds. He gives his teeth a quick brush and as he pulls on his boxers, he realises that there is no hiding his heavy, still plump cock. Looking at his reflection, he shakes his head at himself and wraps a towel around his waist. When he enters the room, Steve isn’t there. He frowns, certain he heard a door. Shrugging he loses the towel and sits down on the bed. He picks up his phone and lets himself fall backwards, checking his messages. The family group app exploded, they are all chattering about the trip to Italy and he smiles when he thinks about seeing everyone in two days. He throws out a 'safe travels' and dumps his phone back on the nightstand. He lays there, letting himself drift to the faint, island noises outside and for a moment he misses Hawaii fiercely. 

Not even ten minutes later Steve walks in with a tray, he deposits it on the bed next to him. 

“Eat, drink. I’ll be right back.”

Danny opens his mouth but Steve is already out the door. So he picks up the mug and inhales deeply, the aroma alone is satisfying. His first sip is heaven, his second sip even better. He pokes at the pancakes, rolling one up and takes a tentative bite. Chewing slowly, savouring the sweetness. By the time he finishes off the second roll his stomach feels much better. He puts the tray on the ground and slurps down the rest of his coffee while he watches the birds down in the courtyard. Danny turns when Steve comes in, he meets Steve’s hazel eyes and he shivers at the intensity in his gaze. Steve smirks and deliberately locks the door behind him, the snick loud in the silence. 

“Feel better?”

Danny’s stomach flutters with nerves. Steve’s whole demeanor is giving off a distinct hunter vibe and Danny very much feels like prey. 

“I feel fine actually. You?”

The nonchalance he goes for doesn’t land, mainly because his voice went up two octaves. And when Steve prowls forward, Danny has to suppress the instinct to run. Steve reaches him and Danny looks up at him. The hunger in Steve’s eyes is oil on Danny’s own desire.

“I’m good, D, really good.”

Steve’s states huskily as he leans in and takes Danny’s mouth in a hard, near savage kiss. Danny gives in immediately, opening his mouth under the onslaught of Steve’s tongue. Steve moans into the kiss and Danny pulls him in closer. For a moment Danny feels weightless and it takes him a second to realise Steve has lifted him up. He breaks the kiss and clamps his legs around Steve’s waist. They’re both panting and Steve is smiling at him. 

“What?”

Steve kisses him lightly before he turns and gently lowers Danny onto the bed. Danny looks up at Steve as he kneels between his splayed legs. Steve pulls his shirt off and Danny looks his fill, from the curve of Steve’s neck down to the incredible pecs, dark, pebbled up nipples and the dusted trail leading to what looks like a considerable treasure. When his gaze drifts back up he finds Steve smirking, Danny hooks his leg around the slim waist and yanks him down. Steve follows easily, holding himself up on his hands as he dips further down and kisses Danny again. He pulls back and moves a damp curl from Danny’s forehead. 

“Finally alone.”

“Mmm yes we are. We should definitely take advantage.”

“Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

Steve kisses him and Danny gets lost in it, letting his hands roam freely. Eventually Steve breaks the kiss, trailing his lips down Danny’s neck, further down to his collarbone. He kisses Danny’s nipple, sucking the bud into his mouth while he tweaks the other almost painfully. Danny’s fingers clutch Steve’s hair and he doesn’t know whether to pull him away or to force him to continue. Danny moans and that seems to be what Steve was looking for because he moves on, tongue dipping in his bellybutton as he follows the blond trail down. When he reaches the waistband he pauses, waiting for Danny to make eye contact. Once he does Steve slowly moves the boxers down, freeing Danny’s straining cock. Steve’s nimble fingers wrap around it, he keeps his focus on Danny as he licks the leaking tip before closing his lips around the head and starts sucking. Danny whimpers, hips involuntary stuttering, Steve seems to have anticipated that because he pins Danny down onto the bed. His muscles ripple as he shudders under the hot, wet assault.

“Steve, please. Jesus” he’s only vaguely aware of his own babbling, the coil in his belly tightens and he doesn’t want to cum yet. He closes his legs, trapping Steve’s head as he tries to stave off his orgasm “ _Steve!_ ” 

Steve finally stops sucking and squeezes the base of Danny’s cock, stopping the immediate urge to come. Danny lets his legs relax and Steve pulls away with an obscene pop. His cock slaps wetly against his abs and Danny groans. Steve shuffles back and off the bed, taking Danny’s boxers with him. Danny watches him as he quickly and quietly loses his own clothes. Danny’s mouth actually waters at the sight of Steve’s body. The man is a work of art, from his cheekbones to his weirdly attractive knees but the centerpiece takes his breath away. It’s standing proudly, a healthy dark red flush, thick, long, with a curve to the right and already leaking fat drops of precum down the shaft. He licks his lips and his cock twitches, Steve smiles and flexes his muscles.

“Like what you see?”

“Fuck yeah.”

He opens his legs in blatant invitation and he can see Steve shuddering.

“But I would actually really love it if you put those hard earned muscles to use and show me a good time sailor.”

In the blink of an eye Steve is on the bed, forcing Danny’s legs further apart, as he settles in between them. Danny moans as their cocks slide together for the first time. Steve grabs Danny’s wrists and pins them above his head before leans in and kisses him senseless. When he feels Steve’s cold, slippery fingers at his hole he breaks the kiss. He tugs his hands but he’s still very much pinned to the bed. Steve keeps fingering his hole and Danny writhes.

“Steve I ne ..” 

Steve pushes a finger in and Danny loses track of his thoughts. 

“Shh, you need to let me take care of you.”

Danny shakes with desire and anticipation as he watches Steve slick up his own cock. Steve jerks him into his lap and he leans forward, nearly bending Danny in half. The head of Steve’s cock briefly teases the rim before it pushes past the tight muscle and smoothly slides in to the hilt. Steve gives him a second to adjust, leaning down to kiss him. The moment Danny relaxes into the kiss, Steve draws back and punches back in, repeating at different angles until Danny’s breath catches. He can feel Steve’s smirk and he bites his lip. Steve yelps, pulls away and slaps Danny’s ass in retaliation. Danny opens his mouth but Steve is already pressing back in, hitting his prostate dead on. Steve sets a brutal pace and Danny can’t seem to catch his breath. Heat spirals down his spine, settling low in his belly. Danny finds himself on the brink of orgasm and he realises he’s not going to last. 

“Fu .. Steve .. I’m ..”

Steve’s fingers wrap around Danny’s cock and the pleasure explodes, his muscles contract and he comes, cum splattering all the way up to his neck. Steve doesn’t give him time to get his breath back. 

“My turn.”

He kisses Danny before he manhandles him onto his knees, he pushes back in and Danny cries out. If he thought Steve was brutal before it was nothing compared to the rough, almost vicious thrusts now. Danny loves the bruising grip on his hips, the drag of the thick cock and the uncontrolled grunts coming from his lover. When Steve’s thrusts start to falter Danny clenches his muscles. Danny groans when he’s pulled up and he sinks further down on Steve’s cock. Steve's hand is splayed over his belly and his hips are still pumping up. Danny bears down, clamping his muscles around Steve’s length. Steve buries his face into Danny’s neck and sighs quietly as he comes. 

Steve maneuvers Danny onto his side, while keeping his cock inside of him. As they lay there in a sweaty, sticky mess, Danny finally manages to catch his breath. They stay like that for a long while, until Steve shivers behind him. They clean up quickly despite the fact that they can’t seem to stop touching each other. They change the sheets and Danny marvels at Steve’s foresight.

“Babe, you are such a boy scout. I love it.”

Steve grumbles but smiles and Danny loves that as well. He sits down on the bed and studies Steve’s profile.

“Tell me why we didn’t do this before?”

“I don’t know Danny, but I’m glad we are here now.”

Danny hooks a finger behind Steve’s belt and pulls him in. Steve comes willingly, stumbling into Danny’s lap. 

“Me too babe.”

Steve loops his arms around Danny’s neck and kisses him deep and wet. Danny breaks the kiss, pecking Steve one last time before he ushers him up.

“Let’s see what the kids are up too.”

When they get downstairs Grace and Charlie are still decorating the cookies. Victor and Louis are already in the dining hall so they join them. Louis is incensed about Diego’s stunt while Victor is apologetic. Danny is surprised when Steve waves it away, but he lets it go. After dinner Maria comes in with a plate of freshly baked cookies. Charlie excitedly gives Steve a pineapple cookie. Danny gets a tie. He shoots Grace a look and she sticks her tongue out. He smiles and ruffles Charlie’s hair. 

“Thanks buddy. I love it.”

Victor leaves pretty soon after they finish their cookies, he’s drained from the hospital visit. Louis and Steve start a chess game while Danny sets up a video call with Rachel and the kids. After that it’s time for bed. 

“Come on, go say goodnight.”

Charlie runs to Steve and loudly kisses him on the cheek. Steve laughs and gives Charlie a raspberry kiss in return. Louis smiles at the interaction and Danny’s heart hurts for him. Grace surprises them by going to bed as well. Danny walks over and gives Steve a quick kiss.

“Don’t stay up too late. We need to get rid of the jet lag babe.”

Steve nods and Danny follows Charlie out. He starts out with Charlie in his own bed, but half an hour later the little boy is pressed up to Danny’s side. 

Danny briefly wakes up when Steve slips under the sheets, pulling Danny flush against him. 

“Time?”

“Just past ten, go back to sleep.”

Danny feels Steve’s lips brush his forehead as sleep pulls him back under. 

******

The next morning, after breakfast, Steve goes for a run and Danny takes Charlie and Grace to explore the grounds surrounding the castle. When they get back Steve is already back, talking with Louis. They have an early lunch before going down to the beach, for a swim. Just before dinner while the kids are washing up, Louis mentions to his father that Mia called, apparently Diego is forgoing his royal lineage. The documents have been signed, he’s no longer eligible for the throne. Victor is shocked and surprised but he’s happy that he no longer has to worry about leaving the kingdom in his grabby paws. Danny eyes a suspiciously silent Steve but his lover doesn’t even look at him. After dinner, he sends Grace up with Charlie to call Rachel. Danny takes the opportunity to tell Victor and Louis that they talked and that Grace is willing and eager to be heir to the throne. Victor claps his hands together and asks Leon to bring in the champagne. Louis is smiling.

“Danny, Steve I can’t thank you enough. This takes a tremendous amount of pressure off my chest. I am so glad I’m getting the chance to really get to know you.”

Danny shakes his head and smiles. 

“I hope you still feel that way tomorrow when the rest of the clan arrives.”

“I’m looking forward to it. This place has been empty for too long.”

They say goodnight and go up stairs, they stop at Grace’s room to kiss her goodnight and Danny checks in on Charlie, who for once is sleeping in his own bed. 

Steve is already in the shower when Danny comes back into their room. When he enters the bathroom, Steve is rinsing his hair. Danny doesn’t lose another second, he strips quickly and slips into the shower stall. Steve turns when the cold air collides with the steam. Danny steps up close to Steve, wrapping his arm around Steve’s neck he pulls him into a soft kiss. 

“Don’t think you got away with it. I don’t know what you did exactly but I know you put the fear of a Navy SEAL into that bastard.”

“I didn’t do nothing Danny.”

Steve pouts, laughter in his eyes. Danny nods, kissing Steve again.

“Plausible deniability. That’s good.”

Steve is smiling now and Danny can’t help but kiss him again. He smiles back and deliberately sinks down to his knees. Steve’s eyes widen and he bites his lip as Danny wraps his fingers around his rapidly growing cock. He leans in and kisses the tip, Steve whimpers above him. He looks up.

“You’ve got to be quiet babe.”

Before Steve can say anything Danny wraps his lips around the head and sucks him all the way down. Steve whines as his cock taps the back of Danny’s throat. Danny draws back, and takes him back in, keeping his fingers wrapped around the base this time. Steve’s hand comes to rest on his head. Danny tongues the slit, loving the salty sweet explosion in his mouth. He pulls away, again, but keeps his lips tightly wrapped around the head. He sucks hard, pressing his tongue up. Steve’s fingers tighten in his hair, groaning as he comes quietly. Danny swallows repeatedly before he pulls off with a pop, and smacks his lips together. 

“Why are you sweet?”

Steve barks out a laugh and hauls Danny up, kissing him hard. Danny opens his mouth, letting Steve in. 

“Pineapple.”

“What?”

Danny asks, dazed from the kiss.

“I’m sweet because I have a lot of pineapple in my diet.”

Danny narrows his eyes, not totally willing to believe that old wives tale. 

“I want to say this is a ploy to get me to eat more pineapple but I’m willing to try this one out.”

Steve kisses him again. 

“Sure baby.”

Steve turns him around and slides his hand down until he can wrap his fingers around Danny’s cock. He gives it a few tugs and Danny sighs, leaning his head against Steve’s shoulder. It doesn’t take long before he comes, spilling quietly over Steve’s fingers. They finish up and are in bed ten minutes later.

Steve is sitting against the headboard reading his ammo magazine on the tablet and Danny is halfway to dreamland when the door opens. Charlie comes up to the bed, crawling over Danny and into Steve’s lap. 

“Buddy, you need to start sleeping in your own bed.”

“But the dark is really dark.”

Danny sighs, vowing to get a nightlight the next day but he lets Charlie snuggle up to him. Steve is smiling when he turns off the light and they settle for the night. 

  
  


End Chapter two


	3. An epilogue of sorts

_ Danny looks at his family gathered around the big table in the dining hall. His mother and father are next to Victor talking quietly, heads bend together. His sisters are asking Louis a thousand questions and Eric is sitting with Grace and Charlie. Suddenly his mother looks up and she pointedly shifts her gaze between him and Steve. Danny flushes and raises an eyebrow. His mother narrows her eyes and Danny flees, dragging Steve with him to get a nightlight.  _

_ Funny enough his family has no problems with their relationship, most of them thought they’d been dating for years.  _

_ ****** _

_ When the PR team releases their story, the press rolls with it and there’s almost no backlash. The fact that he’s in a relationship with another man is celebrated as progressive and the start of a new era.  _

_ Grace and Charlie are adored by the press, as are his parents. Surprisingly his sisters tried to keep a low profile, not willing to take the spotlight in fear of skeletons coming out of the closet. Danny laughs hard and long over that, much to the chagrin of his beloved sisters.  _

_ Instead of his family becoming de Savoy’s, Victor and Louis become honorary Williams's and they love it.  _

Fin (for real)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't actually have any knowledge of dna tests, or royal lineage, or poison and I do not speak Italian or Hawaiian (google translate is my friend) but I do have an overactive imagination and this story is the result of that. (It might be unrealistic at some points but keep an open mind) They might be a little ooc at times but I hope they are still very much Danno and Steve. The time lines should fit, but I'm bad at math hahaha That being said, I need to thank everyone who proof read this. Seriously thank you for putting up with my insecure ass. You guys rock. ♥️  
> I hope you enjoyed my writing! Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thank you for reading! 
> 
> *English is not my native language so you might find some mistakes. I think I got all the big ones but if you happen to find one (or more) please let me know.


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